Readers Still Prefer Print

Many people believe that with the prevalence of Internet usage, that paper will eventually become obsolete. This definitely doesn’t seem to be the case; nor will it be anytime soon. Print is clearly here to stay and continues to be preferred in a variety of industries, including advertising.

Despite the onslaught of eBooks and various types of eReader devices, academic, business, and recreational readers still love to hold a printed book or manual in their hands. In 2015, for example, 80% of worldwide book sales were print, rather than eBook, sales. Furthermore, 59% of readers state that they prefer reading a print, rather than an online, article.

On an annual basis, the United States uses over nine billion tons of paper and prints 8.5 trillion letter-sized simplex pages. From September 2015 to February 2016, there were over $7 billion in commercial printing shipments alone.

What about all that advertising mail? Were you aware that 80% of Americans don’t immediately toss or recycle it? They actually browse through or read those advertising mailers and related materials. It’s also interesting to note that in 2007, 10.6 million American jobs depended on creating, printing, and shipping this type of mail.

On a worldwide basis, print continues to be a major industry. It is actually a larger industry than either video games or auto-manufacturing. In fact, it rivals the video game industry by eight-times and is considerably larger than the auto-manufacturing industry.

In 2015, for example, printing shipments in the United States had increased by $2 billion during July and August. When compared to 2014, that was an increase of more than $2.2 billion. The total earnings for 2015 were $57 billion.

In order to create and deliver all those printed materials, the industry uses a variety of tools and machinery: